Refrigerating apparatus



March 24, 1925. 1,531,038

C. C. SPREEN -REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 31, 1924 M I i I L;

61 24222 65 CSpreezz fizz/su ar Azfarzzeys in my claims.

Patented Mar. 24, 1925 STATE CHARLES C. SPREEN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR, BY MES NE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO KELVINATOR CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION MICHIGAN.

REFRIGERATING AlPAItATUS.

Application filed October 31, 1924.. Serial No. 747,022.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known thatl, CHARLES C. SPREEN, a citizen of the United States of America,

' and a resident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invent ed certain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. ,This invention relates to refrigerating apparatus especially of the type employed for domestic purposes and has for its object the provision of a new and improved brine tank construction which shall facilitate the assembling of the brine tank and safe-guard the internal parts thereof against injury during transportation. Further objects of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds. In the drawings accompanyingl and forming apart of this application I ave shown certain physical forms in which my inventive idea can be embodied although it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the forms or constructions shown herein except as the same are specifically recited Figs. 1 and angles to each other of a typical brine tank as employed for mechanical refrigeration;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one of tlie'spacing bars shown in Fig. 1; Fig, 4 is an enl'arged detail view showin one of said spacing bars in place; and ig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a modified form of spacing bar.

In mechanism of this character it is customary to employ a rectangular sheet metal tank 1 filled with brine, alcohol solution, or other low freezing point substance which, when thoroughly cooled, may serve to maintain the food compartment at the desired temperature for a considerable period Without running the motor. Submerged in this brine are suitable turns of pipe constituting a. coil for the expansion of the refrigerant, these coils being frequently looped about suitable chambers or fines adapted for the reception ofmeat, ices, trays of water,

or other substances desired to be chilled or frozen. In thepresent embodiment I have illustrated three horizontal lines 2, 3, and

tively, which together constitute: the ex- 2 are sectional views at right pansion chamber and terminate in fittings 8 and 9 at the top of the tank. I have shown the flue 4 as formed of, a height to take only a single tray of water, fine 3 is of the height to take two trays and flue 2 of a height to take three trays. When plural trays are employed in a single flue, the upper trays are supported by having their flanges slid upon suitable rails or shelves 15, 15; but the number or size of theflues or the number of trays they con tain are not important to the. present invention.

In the practical manufacture of devices of this character it is necessary to form the coils on mandrels; to erect and solder the tank independent of the coils; to paint or lacquer the soldered seams of the tank interior prior to the introduction of the'coils, in order to increase the life of the tank; then to introduce the coils into the tank from above; then to introduce the fines transversely into the coils; and finally to solder the fines in-place and the tank top to walls.

This necessity of inserting the lines into brine, pure copper being the preferred substance, and the same are necessarily. made rather thin, both to minimize weight and to facilitate heat exchange. As a result experience has shown that a considerable percentage of all brine tanks shipped more than one thousand miles have actually had holes worn either in the coils or in the fiues by the vibration.

In order to overcome this difiiculty I interpose betweeneach corner of each flue and the corresponding bend of the coil'a suitable bracing strip 10 which shall both facilitate the assembling of the device and prevent vibration and wear during transportation. In its preferred form this strip is made of wood "of the appearance shown in Figs. 3 and 4, one face being grooved to en age the corner of the flue and the :opposite face being rounded to conform with the bend of the pipe; although other substances can be used such as the metal strip as shown in '5 wherein the edges 11, 11 are rolled to engage the flue,

., the coil, the legs of the staple being passed through spaced holes 13,-13 formed in-the strips, and the grooved face of'the strip being recessed between these holes as shown at l l'to receivc the body of the staple and displace .the same out of the path of the flues. g I

In case of the metal strip shown in Fig.

5 the hollow interior of the'strip dispenses with the need of any special provisionitor this staple. It is necessary to give the legs of these staples only a partial turn sufficient to hold the strips in a position to receive theflues.

After the tanks are setup and filled with brine it makes little difference what'hap pens to these strips, inasmuch as transportation thereafter is of very rare occurrence;

Vhen made of wood these strips disintegratemore or less rapidly yet this is of minor importance and so far as life'is con- "cerned -the strips might equally well be madeof paper board or similar substances.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. In refrigerating apparatus", a brine. tank comprising a horizontal metal flue,

an expansion coil bent into a coil surround-..

ing said flue, in combination with a plurality of horizontal spacingstrips interposed between said coil and the walls of said flue, and means securing saidstrips to said coil.'-

2. In refrigerating apparatus, a brine tank having therein a chamber which opens through one or more walls thereof, an expansion coil comprising a coil of pipe embracing said chamber, and a' plurality of spacing strips interposed between said coil andthe walls of said chamber and adapted to preventmutual wear of said pipe and walls during transportation;

8. In refrigerating apparatus, the combinat'ion with the expansion coil, of a plurality of spacing strips carried by the inner surface thereby and comprising elongated members adapted to engage the walls of a freezing flue, said strips having pairs of apertures adapted for the reception of se-xcuring staples, there being'recesses between the holes of each pain; g

4. In refrigerating apparatus in combination a brine tank having holes intits vwalls and rectangular sheet metal flues secured in said, holes and constituting horizontal freezing chambers, coils of pipe'operativel-y associated with each of said flues,

spacing strips interposed between each coil a'ndthe adjacent flue, and means securing each end of each strip to said coils.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto afiix'my signature.

' CHARLES C. SPREEN. 

